TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force deliberately selected the location for its recent military drill in western Iran, near the Iran-Iraq border, according to drill spokesman General Mohammad Hadi Sefidchian speaking to the Tehran Times. 

“The area was deliberately chosen because it was a point of infiltration for some Daesh terrorists in the 2010s, during the group's peak in Iraq,” the general announced. 

The IRGC Ground Force concluded the first phase of the "Great Prophet 19" military drill on Thursday, an ongoing exercise involving multiple branches of the IRGC and other Iranian armed forces. 

Sefidchian did not speak about the current circumstances that prompted the IRGC to choose Western Iran, particularly the Kermanshah province, as the location for the first stage of the drill. His remarks, however, come as extremist groups recently rose to power in Syria, after toppling President Bashar al-Assad’s government a month ago. 

The general also outlined the IRGC Ground Force's future development plans, stating a comprehensive strategy would be implemented across technical, tactical, and intelligence domains. He explained, “We will be focusing on developing new weapons, devising new tactics, and strengthening our intelligence prowess." 

Turning to specific advancements, Sefidchian highlighted the importance of quadcopters in modern warfare, acknowledging their dual role as both a threat and an opportunity for Iran. "This time we operated many quadcopters, engaged in exercises that simulated electronic warfare, and also practiced countering cyberattacks.”